The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 21 – 30

The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 21

The Devil in her Dreams

The day after the entire city knew about their wedding shutting down all the gossip that circulated. Zamiel sent carriages and servants with gold and expensive fabrics to her home. Now people started to gossip about how lucky she was instead. 

“You didn’t have to send all this.” She told him.
“I wanted to.” He said.
She smiled at him, this time looking into his eyes. There was no avoiding to look at each other now that they were getting married. She looked happy and so was he, except for the one thing that bothered him. He was a djinn, and she didn’t know. She deserved to know, but he was afraid of losing her.
“Gamila, would you love me no matter what?” He asked.
“As long as you don’t hurt me, I will love you for eternity.” She said.
“I need to tell you something.” He began. “Whatever I tell you, I want you to know that it doesn’t change who I am or how I feel about you.”
She nodded. “You can tell me anything.”
“I am a djinn.” He said.
She looked at him for a long moment. It felt like forever before she laughed. “You are funny.” She said hitting him jokingly.
“I am serious.” He told her.
“Alright.” She said, but he could tell she didn’t believe him.
He would have to show her, so he vanished and then materialized back again.
That night she ran away from him, locking herself inside her room. Even though it hurt him he knew these kinds of things could be difficult for humans to accept. She would need a few days to let sink in.
But Gamila was quick, and the day after she came knocking on his door. “Zamiel, would you ever hurt me?” She asked.
“May I never see the daylight again if I ever hurt you.”
“Don’t say such a thing.” She scolded. “May you have a long life.”
He smiled at her. “You are not afraid of me anymore?”
“No. I can’t be afraid of my future husband.” She smiled back.
And so they got married, and he gave her the love bite, strengthening their bond. But someone was not so happy about their marriage and it was none other than his witch friend, Razia. Despite the animosity between their races, they stayed friends for many years.
Now she was angry with him. “How could you not tell me you got married?”
“It happened suddenly.” He explained.
“Still.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Alright, I am sorry.”
“Who is here?” His wife came into the parlor.
“Gamila, come here. This is my friend Razia.” He introduced. “And this is my wife, Gamila.”
They greeted each other and before he knew they sat down and chatted happily until the sun went down. Razia come often to their home to spend time with Gamila and Zamiel was happy they became friends. His two-year-old daughter was also very fond of Razia.
One night while lying in bed next to his wife, she asked him a surprising question.
“Do you like Razia?”
He took a moment to think. He didn’t want to say anything to hurt his wife. “I like her as a friend.” He said.
“But a man and a woman can never be just friends.” She said.
“To me, she is just a friend.” He assured her.
“But to her, you are not just a friend.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, she likes you. As a man.”
“There must be a misunderstanding. I have known her for a very long time.” He said.
“Yes. But only a woman can know another woman very well.” She explained.
“You are worried? That I might like her back?”
“I can’t blame you if you did. She is very beautiful.”
“Nothing compares to your beauty.” He told her.
She smiled widely at his compliment, but that night was the last time he saw her beautiful smile. The day after when he came home, he found his wife and daughter slaughtered, their lifeless bodies lying in a pool of blood. His wife was badly beaten, he could tell she fought for her life and for their daughter’s life.
Zamiel fell on his knees, his vision darkening, his head spinning. He had the urge to vomit from the way his insides twisted in pain. Crawling to their bodies, he gathered them in his arms and held them close while he cried, a silent stifled sound.
When he could finally breath, he screamed, cursed, begged, but nothing changed the fact that they were gone. His wife had always prayed for him to live a long life. Why did he never do the same? Why?!
Who had done this?! They would pay for it dearly.
It had to be someone who didn’t know about him, otherwise they would never dare. Maybe some humans who didn’t know what they were dealing with, but he was wrong. These beings knew exactly what they were doing.
When Razia come home to him she was horrified at what she found.
“Zamiel.” She hurried to his side but then stopped. Again he could see the horror on her face as she looked at the dead body of his daughter. She put a hand on her mouth.
“Look!” He said, holding his daughter up. “She refuses to wake up. She refuses to talk to me.”
“Zamiel, please. Come.” She grabbed his arms and tried to get him away from the dead bodies.
“No!” He pushed her away. “I am staying here.”
“You can’t stay there forever. We need to bury them.”
He shook his head violently. “I am not burying them before I bury those who killed them. Find them for me, Razia. Find them!”
It didn’t take long for Razia to find out who they were, but he could see she was ashamed and terrified when she told him. It was her own people. What better way to hurt an ancient demon? They couldn’t kill him, so they killed his family.
He knew why. It was all his fault. His type were not supposed to procreate. Demons had broken that rule many times before. It was one created by the witches, anyway, but his case was different. They probably felt threatened that an ancient demon was procreating. It would disrupt the balance of nature according to them. But how could they kill a child?
His vision become red with anger. Razia had every reason to be afraid. At that moment, he forgot their long years of friendship. All he could think of was that she was a witch, one of those who brutally murdered his family. He was close to killing her right there and then.
“Leave before I kill you.” He told her.
Tears fell down her cheeks. “You need someone by your side now. Please let me be there for you. ”
He needed to just give her a look to let her know that if she spoke one more word; he was not going to show mercy.
Quietly, she turned and left.
Zamiel buried his family. He had sworn to avenge them first, but now his plans would take much longer and he wanted them to find peace soon. His vengeance would be nothing short. He would teach everyone what it meant to anger an ancient djinn.
The horror of his actions spread fast, and witches started to hide. He burned down and buried every witch village he knew until they themselves brought to him the one responsible for the death of his family. Only to end the terror.
Zamiel thought of all the possible ways to torture them, but nothing seemed satisfying enough. So he handed them over to the demons. Those who hated witches the most. They could come up with gruesome ways to kill and torture. He never enjoyed watching suffering as much as he did that day. But then only emptiness followed.
Once he executed his revenge, there was nothing else to do. Together with his family, he had buried a part of himself that day. Now only the pain remained.
“Zamiel.” His friend Razia returned to him. He thought she would never want to see him again after what he did.
“What are you doing here?”
“If you are done hating, I want to be with you.”
Be with him? His wife had told him that Razia liked him. It turned out to be true.
“But I don’t want to be with you. Every time I see you, I am reminded of them.”
He could tell his words cut deep. “It’s not my fault I am a witch.”
“I did a mistake by befriending you. Our people can never mix. Demons and witches, it will never happen.”
“You say you can never love me?” She asked, tears welling in her eyes.
“Never!”

The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 22

“Your Highness. It’s time to wake up.”
Heaven could hear her handmaiden pleading with her to wake up, but she didn’t feel like getting out of bed today. Waking up would mean dealing with her thoughts and emotions, and she didn’t have the energy to do that.
“Your Highness. If you tell me to leave, I will.” Kate spoke.
She was such a gentle soul, and Heaven didn’t want to be rude to her.
“Why don’t you come back later.” She told her.
“How much later, Your Highness?”
“Later.” Heaven groaned, still half asleep.
Heaven could hear Kate’s footsteps and then the opening and closing of the door. Finally, she was alone.
She closed her eyes, but the silver-eyed stranger was still haunting her even while awake. Those sad eyes. There was so much pain and hatred in them.
Why did the witches kill his family? Was it because of the animosity between the races or was there something else?
How was it to be locked inside for so long?
She was curious about so many things, and all she had been thinking of the entire night was him. If she wanted to stop this madness, she would have to distract herself. Lying in bed wasn’t doing much good.
After getting ready for the day, Lincoln informed her that a suitor was coming to meet her. She had almost forgotten that she told herself to take responsibility. Thanking Lincoln, she went to meet the suitor. On her way, she prayed that this man would catch her attention. She didn’t feel like meeting a dozen more men.
When she arrived at the parlor, the man was sitting on the sofa holding a cup of tea in his hand. When he took notice of her, he put the cup on the table and stood up quickly.
“Your Highness.” He bowed deeply.
Heaven knew him. He was a very respected General. A young one and her father was very fond of him. She was curious because of what she had heard about him. Despite his young age, he was spectacular at leading the royal army, protecting the kingdom and planning for war.
“General Kian, please be seated.”
He sat down, and she sat opposite him. He seemed nervous, unlike most Generals who radiated arrogance. Especially when they saw her. She knew exactly what most of them were thinking. Probably that they were more influential than a Princess and therefore superior.
Maybe they were, and it gave her a sudden urge to prove them wrong.
Speaking to General Kian wasn’t bad. He didn’t annoy her at least, and he had good manners. He also seemed too wise for his age, being only a few years older than her. He made her realize how childish she was, and she still had a lot to learn and a long way to grow.
But she couldn’t see him as a man. Or more correctly, her man. She was already taken. It would be very confusing to marry someone before the mark faded. Would that even be right to do? It felt like she was betraying him.
No! She couldn’t do this anymore. She refused. Now, she had only one option left. To try the impossible.
“General Kian. Have a woman joined the royal army before?”
He was surprised by her question.
“No.”
“Why is that?” She asked.
“I am not sure, but no woman has ever expressed that she wants to join.”
“I am sure you know the warrior Princess Klara. She is also a General of the royal army in Gatrish.”
“Yes. Everyone knows her. I am sorry to ask Princess, but are you considering joining the royal army?”
“Yes.”
He nodded thoughtfully, but she could see that he was trying to hide his emotions on the matter.
“I am sure you can discuss it with His Majesty.” He finally said.
Heaven could tell he was being careful with his words.
“I will, but can I count on you if I join the army?” She asked, knowing she would meet a lot of resistance. Having a General on her side would help a lot.
“I am at your service, Your Highness.”
She observed him for a short moment, then decided to trust his words. He seemed genuine.
At least the meeting wasn’t a total waste. Heaven had taken a step toward her goal, but she still had a long way to go.
After the meeting, she went to meet her father. When she came to the garden, her parents were sitting in her mother’s favorite swing. Her father had one arm wrapped around her mother’s shoulder, holding her close while they spoke of something that made them both happy.
Heave stood and watched them from a distance. Even after so many years, she could see the love and affection they had for each other. It made her smile without realizing.
Unexpectedly, they looked her way as if sensing her presence. Her mother motioned for her to come.
Heaven walked up to them.
“I am sure our daughter is here to speak to you.” Her mother said, looking at her father.
“She is jealous.” Her father joked.
“I love you, mother.” Heaven said, knowing very well her mother always felt that Heaven was closer to her father.
Maybe she was. But she didn’t love her mother any less. If her father was her sky, then her mother was the earth beneath her feet. Without her, she wouldn’t be standing.
“But yes. I do need to speak to father.” She continued.
Her father listened carefully, nodding for her to proceed.
“Father, I have changed my mind. I don’t want to get married. I want to rule.”
Eyes wide with surprise, her parents looked at each other before her father laughed, amused.
“That was unexpected.” He said.
But her mother didn’t think it was funny or entertaining. “Heaven,” She stood up from her seat and came up to her, putting her hands gently on her arms. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes, mother. Everything is perfect.”
“If you don’t want to get married, you don’t have to. We will find a way.” Her mother assured.
“I know. But I still want to do this.”
Her mother frowned. “Is there something you are not telling me? To be a ruler is not easy, especially to be the first female ruler you are going to go through a lot of hardsh.i.p.s.”
Heaven knew her mother wanted to protect her, but someday Heaven wanted to be able to do the same for her parents. Protect them.
“Mother, I know the road is difficult, but I have made a decision. I would be very glad if you could support me. I am going to need all the support I can get. You can also teach me and lend me your wisdom.”
Her mother looked back at her father as if asking for help.
“Heaven,” Her father stood up from his seat as well. “You can’t know what you want before you have tried it. I’ll let you rule under my watch. If you still want to rule after that I’ll support you. Just know that being a ruler will change you and not always for the better.”

The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 23

Irene was keeping an eye on Heaven. So many things were going on, starting with the stranger who marked her and her grandfather who had plans to make her his successor. Danger surrounded her and Irene would do everything in her power to protect her granddaughter, hopefully without suffocating her. Therefore, she kept an eye on her from a distance.
After making sure that Heaven was asleep, Irene went to take a break and relax in her room when she suddenly got a visit from someone she expected to show up sooner or later.
Lothaire.
“Why are you here?” She asked, turning to him.
“I missed you.” He said, walking closer.
“You wouldn’t have left me then.”
“I didn’t leave you. I never wanted to. I wanted you to follow me, to be by my side, to be my Queen, but you refused.” If she didn’t know better now, she would have believed that he was sad.
“Of course. Did you expect me to leave my son to come with you?”
“You didn’t have to leave him if you stood by my side. We would have convinced him together.” He explained.
Irene shook her head. “Or you could have stayed with us.”
Lothaire sighed, then he crossed the distance between them and took her hands in his. “Irene, my love. Have I not stayed with you all this time? Can’t you now stay with me? Can’t you be by my side? Imagine our lives together, all the happiness we shared. We can do that again. Yes, I might have lied about many things, but my feelings for you were never a lie.”
“I know. Your feelings for me were not a lie, but that is your feelings and that is all you care about. You never cared for my feelings. You sacrificed my happiness. If you truly cared about how I feel you would have tried your best to bring me our son knowing how empty I felt all those years without him. How could you do that to me? How could you do that to someone you claim you love? You even sacrificed your son’s happiness for you evil plans.”
“You don’t understand.” He said with clenched teeth.
“I do. You don’t know what real love means. You version of love is twisted because you are selfish, and real love is not selfish.”
He nodded, dropping her hands. “Very well, then. If you think I am selfish, alright. But what I did was best for everyone. Yes, it was difficult for you and Lucian, but look at him now. He was protected all those years, and he grew up to be a fine man, and now you can be with him. The result benefited everyone.” He explained.
Irene stared at him, appalled. Why did she except that he would understand?
“Where you sure this would be the result? What if things turned out differently? Like the time our son almost committed suicide, or the time when he actually died. What if he hadn’t come back?”
“He did come back. Bad things could have happened even if he stayed with us. There is no avoiding that.”
“What about all the scars and loneliness you made him go through then? You took his childhood away.” Her eyes teared up, recalling all the hurt her son must have gone through.
“That made him stronger. Difficulties make people stronger.”
“Yes. And strong benefits you because then he will fit perfectly into you plan.”
“Don’t twist my words.” He warned.
“I don’t need to. You are more twisted than your words. And your actions are even worse. Don’t come back here. We have nothing left between us and don’t you dare come for Heaven. I know what you are planning.” She spat.
“Heaven is my granddaughter, too. You can’t stop me from meeting her. I will come for her whenever I want. She is old enough now to decide for herself whether she wants to meet me or not.” He sounded angry this time.
“So it’s not enough you ruined two lives. Now you want to ruin another?”
“No. I wouldn’t call it ruin. I call it freedom. With me, she can do whatever she wants.”
Irene clenched her hands into fists, trying to contain her anger. “Leave!” She said in a calm yet threatening tone. There was no use in talking to him anymore.
His lips curved into a smile. “I will. For now. But I will come back for you. We will be a family again.” He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand before he vanished.
Irene stood there for a while. Anger and hatred boiling within her. Why could he just not leave her to finally stay happy with her family?
She would not let him lay a finger on Heaven. She would not let him hurt her children again.
When the morning came the first thing Irene did was to visit her granddaughter. To her surprise, she was awake early this morning and already dressed.
“Good morning, grandma.” She smiled brightly upon her arrival.
“Good morning. You seem to be in a good mood.”
“I am trying.” Heaven smiled. “I need your help.”
“Alright. What is it?”
Heaven frowned. “You don’t know? Father haven’t told you?”
“Told me what?” Irene asked.
“That… I want to become a ruler.”
Irene paused for a moment, surprised, before asking, “why would you want that?” She couldn’t understand. She didn’t want Heaven to bear that burden. It was enough that her son already went through all those horrible things.
“Grandma. I feel like… I was born for this. I can either complain about my life or embrace it.” She smiled as if discovering something.
Irene became concerned. Who had changed her granddaughter into this woman? Did Lothaire already meet with her?
“Did you grandpa come here?”
Heaven frowned. “No, why?”
“Nothing.” Irene shook her head, but Heaven’s sudden change in attitude still disturbed her. Something must have affected her.
“So will you help me?” She asked innocently.
“Of course.” Irene smiled. She didn’t want to discourage her now that she finally seemed happy. “What do you want me to do?”
“Well, you could first take me to uncle Roshan. I need to speak to him.” She said.
Without asking why, Irene teleported them to Roshans house.
Klara and Roshan were fighting in the garden and it didn’t look like they were fighting for training purpose even though they used swords.
“Alright, we have guests, maybe we can continue later.” Roshan said while blocking a strike with his sword.
Irene wasn’t surprised. She was used to their physical fights whenever they were angry with each other, but shortly after they would make up and it would be like nothing ever happened. But Irene knew Roshan too well. He rather enjoyed the fight then looking at it as a punishment. Klara on the other hand made sure he enjoyed it as little as possible.
When Klara didn’t drop her sword Roshan gave her a pleading look. “You can kill me later.” He promised her.
Klara threw her sword aside before turning to them. “Irene, Heaven. It’s still early. I was on my way.” She told Heaven, probably referring to the fighting lessons they had in the early mornings.
“I know. I came here for Uncle Roshan.” Heaven explained.
“Oh…” She said turning to her husband.
“Princess.” Roshan came forward. “How can I help you?”
“I want you to teach me how to fight. I mean… Princess Klara is very skilled but I want to learn to use my demon powers while fighting.”
“Or maybe you just want to learn from the best.” He said sending his wife a teasing smile. She gave him a hard glare, which caused him to chuckle.
“Your father told me you wanted to become a ruler.” He said.
“Yes.”
“Well, you have all my support. I’ll enjoy watching all those men being ruled by a woman.”
“Thank you.” Heaven smiled, then turned to Klara. “I would also love to have your support, Princess Klara. There is a lot I can learn from you.”
“You have my support.” She said shortly.
Irene could see that Heaven was determined to make it as a ruler, and everyone was supportive. But she was sceptical. She really didn’t like this idea.

The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 24

Roshan was teaching Heaven how to fight like a demon, but it wasn’t going very well. She was too human compared to him. He was too fast and too strong, and soon she became discouraged. But Roshan was a skilled teacher and every time she gave up he motivated her to do better, and try harder.
“Heaven, I can’t tell you what to do. You and I are different. What works for me won’t work for you. You need to find your own strength. Look deep into yourself.” He told her.
Heaven knew what he meant, but it wasn’t that easy. On the other hand, her lesson’s with Klara were going well. Heaven never thought war and politics would interest her, but studying it she understood why her parent’s and her grandmother didn’t like her decision. In politics you often have to choose between two evils, but
the hardest and most scary part was that her decision would affect so many lives. She would be responsible for the people of this whole kingdom when she could barely take responsibility for herself.
Besides politics and demon powers, she was also learning her witch powers. Her grandmother tried to teach her a few spells.
“I think it’s important that you can take yourself from on place to another in case you are in danger. So that is the first thing I’ll teach you.”
Heaven was happy to know that she would finally be able to teleport herself, but mastering the technique was not easy and it took her few days to only learn one spell. She jumped around with joy when she finally managed to transport herself from one place to another by creating a portal and that she could walk through to the other side, which was where she wanted to go. But shortly after her success, she felt useless that it took her so long to learn just one thing. How long would it take before she learned how to be a real witch?
Zarin and Gina were surprised when they found out about Heaven’s decision to become a ruler, but while Gina was happy and supportive, Zarin opposed to her idea.
“Why would you want that? I don’t understand. All that responsibility you are taking on and all the danger you are putting yourself in is not worth it.” He argued.
Heaven knew he was only worried for her. He had always wished for her to live freely and happily, and he was the one to sneak her out sometimes.
“Zarin, I am tired of hiding and feeling pity for myself. It’s not people I want to rule. I want to rule over my life that I felt I had no control over before. Now I really feel like I can control my life to some extent and plan for my future.”
Zann shook his head, clearly not satisfied by her reply. “You are making a mistake, Heaven. You don’t know what it is like to rule.”
“You are right, I don’t but there is only or way to figure out.”
He stood up from his seat. “I am not supporting you in making a mistake.” He said
“How do you know it’s a mistake?”
“I just know. People are only going along with your idea because you have been feeling sad.”
“So you mean everyone is just pretending to support me to make me happy, and not because they believe in me?” Heaven was baffled.
He sighed. “That is not what I meant.”
“Nevermind. You won’t understand because you never wanted to be a ruler.” She couldn’t help but feel disappointed and sad. Zarin had always been the one to support her.
“You are right. I won’t understand.” He shrugged. “I don’t understand why you changed your mind so suddenly. You never mentioned before that you wanted become a rule.”
“Zarin, people grow and change.”
“I can see that.” He said nodding.
Heaven shook her head at his resistance. He would come around eventually, she thought.
But as days went by things didn’t get better with Zarin and he always played deaf whenever she spoke about her plans. Soon she couldn’t stand it.
“What is wrong with you these days?” She asked.
“Nothing.” He shrugged.
“No! There is something.”
“I just… I don’t understand this new you.”
“There is nothing to understand. I just found a purpose in life. Maybe you should try it than just spending time with women.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them immediately. She could see clearly that he got offended.
“I am sorry.” She hurried to say.

READ ALSO >>>> The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 11 – 20

“No, you are right. I should go find a purpose.” He said and then vanished before she could apologize again.
Yes, she didn’t like his promiscuous behavior, but she shouldn’t have spoken like that.
Heaven groaned, frustrated. Why was it when things got better in life they also got worse at the same time?
With sunken shoulders, she went to sit in front of the mirror and began to remove the silver pins from her hair. She was exhausted, which was good because then she would sleep immediately without thinking about other things. Preparing herself to become a ruler had helped her keep her mind clear from unwanted thoughts. She was too occupied to think of anything else, yet still sometimes she would see those silver eyes in front of her.
Three weeks had passed, but she could still remember him as if she had seen him yesterday. Sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night believing or wishing he had come back for her, but she never felt his presence again. Just as he promised he didn’t come to bother her, but still, she was bothered.
Heaven shook her thought aways quickly. No more thinking of him. She just had to put up with this a few months and then it would be over. Looking in the mirror, she gathered her hair up and tied it in a bun. Her gaze fell on her now bare neck and she noticed something unusual.
Unable to believe her eyes, she leaned closer to the mirror. Where was the mating mark?
It was gone.
How?
It had only been three weeks. It would never fade away this fast unless….
No!
Her heart dropped to her stomach. Did something happen to Zamiel? She remembered the despairing look in his eyes and his words.
“Wherever my feet takes me?”
She hoped it wasn’t where she thought it was.

The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 25

Heaven went to sleep ignoring the fact that the mark had faded away and that it probably meant something was wrong with Zamiel. But she would not care. He was a grown man, powerful and ancient. He didn’t need her help; she tried to convince herself, and it didn’t work.
She lay in bed turning back and forth, her mind filled with questions and her heart hammering loudly at the thought of what might have happened to Zamiel. Ancient demons might not be killed easily, but they could probably kill themselves.
Zamiel wouldn’t do that. Would he?
What if she didn’t do something soon and ended up regretting it for the rest of her life? This was a matter of someone’s life. She shouldn’t even be thinking and hurry to save him before it’s too late.
Getting out of bed, she dressed quickly and then used the magic her grandmother taught her to transport herself. It was still not easy to perform it, and she had to try several times before it worked. She was so happy at first, but looking around she realized she ended up somewhere else. She found herself inside the dark cave where she first found him instead.
Her grandmother had told her to vividly imagine where she wanted to go. Heaven remembered the spooky house where Zamiel had kept her. Closing her eyes, she tried to envision it clearly, and this time it worked. She stood outside the old
house that looked abandoned and her heart began to beat erratically. She had to admit that she feared what she might find.
Either she would find something she hoped to never see or nothing. She hoped for the latter, but she would be more relieved if she found him safe and sound. Although that would put her in danger. He would not appreciate her visit.
Slowly she made her was inside. To her surprise, a few candles were lit, and the moonlight penetrated through the large windows without curtains. Walking further in, she smelled a familiar scent. The scent of rain and wet earth. She could tell he was here by the musky scent and she followed it to find her way around.
The scent led her to a room. Heaven’s eyes fell on the bed where someone was lying. Her heart skipped a beat, realizing she was in a dangerous creature’s home without permission. But she couldn’t help to take a closer look, just to ensure herself that he was alright.
He lay without a blanket and with his hair covering his face. She couldn’t tell if he was just sleeping since he wasn’t moving. She looked at his hands, the only part of his body that was visible. His fingers were bony and his skin pale, almost bluish. It was as if he was dead.
Without a second thought, she ran to his bed and began to shake him.
“Zamiel! Zamiel! Wake up!”
Oh Lord, she was too late.
When he didn’t respond she shook him harder, almost violently when he suddenly shot his eyes wide open.
He was startled, but Heaven let out a breath of relief.
“You are alive.” She said.
He was alive.
He blinked several times. It looked as if he had slept for days, but not healthily. His face looked thinner, his skin paler, and his lips were blue. He looked sick and starved.
“Are you alight?” She loomed over him where he lay.
He looked at her surprised, as if he couldn’t believe that she was there with him.
“Heaven?” His voice was strained, like someone who hasn’t spoken for days.
“Yes. It’s me.”
Stupid her.
He was just fine. What did she think would happen to him?
But what about the mark? Why did it fade away?
He sat up hastily, recoiling from her touch.
“I am sorry. I just thought something bad happened to you.” She explained.
He looked at her with eyes so cold she shivered.
“And why would you care?”
Good question. Why did she care?
“I don’t know. I just… the mark has faded away.”
His gaze traveled to her neck before looking at her again.
“Good. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Heaven wasn’t even sure what she wanted anymore.
“Now you can get married.” His eyes became dark.
He didn’t like the idea.
But then, as if unable to stand her nearness, he took himself out of bed and for away from her. He even refused to look at her while he stood in the corner. He looked afraid.
“I am not getting married anymore.”
Slowly, he lifted his gaze to hers.
“Why? I thought you had to?”
“Not anymore. I took a step to make a change. I decided to become the first Queen to rule.” She said proudly.
Zamiel just stared at her for a moment. She couldn’t tell if he was impressed or not. “Good for you. Now you should leave and never come back.”
His hands fisted at the sides of his body and his eyes turned red before he shut them tightly. When he opened them again, they returned to normal. But Heaven’s gaze was fixated on his month. His fangs had elongated, and she suddenly realized what was happening.
“You want to bite me again?”
She could tell he did not want to admit it. It seemed to her that wanting to bite her sickened him.
“Why did the mark fade away so quickly?” She asked.
“Because your people love to torture. They want me to keep biting you. Now go away, because I would rather kill than bite you again.”
To keep biting her was a torture?
Heaven didn’t know what to feel. She knew a mate’s urge to renew the mark could be very strong, sometimes to the point where it became painful. But that he would rather endure the pain than bite her told her clearly that he wanted nothing to do with her. His hate for witches was so strong, and it scared it. But it also made her curious to know what exactly happened to his family and how he was locked inside a coffin.
But right now it would be best for her to leave.
Getting up, she performed the same spell that took her here, while envisioning her room, but it didn’t work. Embarrassed, she glanced at Zamiel but he ignored her and she went back to try again. Still, it didn’t work.
She knew she would have to try several times like just like before, when suddenly Zamiel chuckled darkly.
“You can’t even perform a spell? What kind of witch are you?”
Anger boiled inside of her. “One that is also part demon and part human.”
“Or maybe just a useless one.”
Heaven knew he was trying to hurt her on purpose. So she tried to not get angry and try again.
“What is wrong?”
“I don’t know. It’s not working.” She hated to admit it. It made her feel weak.
“Why did you even come here?” He growled.
“I don’t want to be here either.”
“Then you wouldn’t have come here.”
“I was just…the mark faded away, and I wondered why. Don’t you?”
“No. I already know and it’s because I hate being your mate.” He emphasized the word hate.
He didn’t need to tell her. The resentment was evident in his gaze.
He shut his eyes again before opening them. She knew he was fighting the urge. She should leave as fast as she could but since the spell wasn’t working, she decided to leave the normal way and when she was a bit far away from him try again.
“I won’t come back to bother you.” She said and then headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” He asked, almost annoyed.
“You told me to leave.”
“Yes. The way you came. You are not thinking of walking back.”
“Why do you care?”
“I don’t. Maybe it’s better you walk back and get killed by some blood hungry demon. There are a lot of them out there and they can even sniff witch blood.”
Heaven wasn’t sure if he was warning her or just scaring her.
“I can protect myself.” She said.
“Says the person who can��t perform a simple spell.” He scoffed.
“It’s not that simple.”
Suddenly he was right in front of her, his face close to hers. His eyes gazing into her own, intensely. He would not compel her, would he?
“If you are thinking of compelling me to let you bite me, then don’t. I rather you do that without compulsion.”
“You won’t resist?”
Heaven just stared into his eyes, not knowing what to reply.

The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 26

“You won’t resist?”
Zamiel stared into her emerald green eyes. There was innocence and vulnerability in them. He could tell she didn’t know much about the world and it’s people. She was raised sheltered and learned to love and trust. And here he was, knowing and feeling nothing but resentment. How different they were.
For a brief moment, he actually thought of compelling her. The urge to bite her had been so strong that it swayed his judgement.
“I.. I…” Was she hesitating? “I don’t know.” She admitted.
This would change things if she became willing to be bitten. The mark would not fade away as quickly. The mark stayed longest when both parts consented to the bond.
Stupid girl. Maybe he should have scared her even more. Just in case he become willing in a moment of weakness she would still be unwilling.
The damn witch would enjoy this if she was still alive. Him biting a witch as soon as the mark faded.
The more he resisted, the quicker the mark would fade and the more he would need to fight the urge to bite her. There was only one way out. If he resisted the urge long enough without biting her, then it would disappear forever and he would be free from the bond.
Zamiel heard that resisting the urge was almost impossible, but he was different. He had already endured so much pain, a little more wouldn’t hurt.
He grabbed her wrist over the dress and took her back to her room. She looked around surprised before looking at him.
“Thank you.” She breathed.
When he dropped her arm her eyes darted in panic. She didn’t want him to leave. He should have frightened her more.
“You look sick.” She pointed.
Yes, he weakened himself so he could fall into a deep slumber until the urge disappeared, but she ruined his plans. Now he would have to start from scratch and try for several days, maybe even weeks, before he could fall into a deep slumber.
“Heaven. Next time you come to meet me, I’ll send you to heaven.” He threatened.
To his surprise, she smiled. “How can you be sure I’ll end up there? I thought all witches were bad and would end up in hell.”
She baffled him. He didn’t know what to respond, and that caused her smile to widen.
“I think deep down you know I wouldn’t hurt you.” She said.
It should have been the other way round. Him telling her he wouldn’t hurt her, but she understood the true meaning of hurt.
“If I come to you, then you should hurt me if you don’t want me to bite you.”
“If you come to me, then I understand why.”
He wished he could shake the innocence out of her.
Suddenly someone materialized into her room. It was the man she called friend.
“Heaven!” He drew his daggers.
Heaven turned to him, startled.
“Zarin!” He could hear the shock in her voice.
Zarin kept his gaze fixated on Zamiel while his eyes blazed with anger.
“Get away from him!” He ordered.
Again with the ordering around.
“It’s not what you think.” She held her hands out, signaling for him to calm down.
If he didn’t Zamiel knew the perfect way to do it.
“He is not here to hurt me.” She said.
Zamiel fought the urge to laugh, but Zarin was not amused at all. As if disappointed, he dropped his arms.
“You went to see him.” He said with disgust.
“I… I can explain.”
Zamiel didn’t feel like listening to their fight. So he just took himself back home, back to his room where her scent still lingered.
What was he supposed to do now? He needed to find a plan to fight this extreme urge.
By the way, who was that friend of hers? From the way she spoke to him, it seemed like she cared for him deeply.
No! He was starting to care again. He should go try to fall back into his slumber as soon as possible. There was no other way he could fight this.
He lay down thinking back of the time when life felt as lonely as it did now. Before he was locked inside the coffin he had isolated himself inside his home. Day in and out he just slept, not eating or drinking.
Razia would come to him sometimes and try to talk some sense into him, but he wouldn’t listen. He didn’t even care to chase her away. He just shut her voice out. Someday she would get tired.
One day she came to him. “Zamiel, I am moving somewhere else. I came to say goodbye.” She said, but he kept ignoring her.
“I baked this bread for you. Your wife taught me how to do it. I thought since you are not eating you wanted to… nevermind. I will put it on the table.”
She went and placed the baked bread on the table. “Won’t you even look at me before I leave or ask me where I am going?”
He continued to ignore her. She sighted. “Alright. I hope you make some changes. This is not called living.”
And just like she left him. Now he felt the loneliest. The only person remained to care for him had also left him now. He couldn’t blame her.
Being starved, he couldn’t ignore the scent of freshly baked bread. It smelled like the one his wife used to bake. He loved it. Unable to ignore hunger that rose within him, he went to the table and ate the bread alone.
It tasted exactly like the one his wife used to make. As he chewed a bite tears fell down his cheeks. All the happy memories came back to him, paining him even more.
Gamila.
Why did she leave him all alone? She promised to stay with him for eternity, but he couldn’t blame her for breaking her promise. It was his fault. He had promised to protect her, but he failed miserably.
“I am sorry Gamila, I am sorry Mikah.” He whispered.
Zamiel remembered the day Mikah was born. The warmth that spread inside his chest. He never thought he would one day soon hold her cold, dead body in his arms. He failed not only as a husband; but as a father as well.
He didn’t even deserve to eat this bread, but he had already finished eating it. He went back to bed. The only way he couldn’t feel pain was to sleep. He even decided once to fall into a deep slumber and wake up after many years, but he had a mission now. To protect demons from facing the same fate as him. He would put the witches in their place and make all of them know to never mess a demon.
He closed his eyes. Tomorrow would be a new day, he thought. But before that day came, he woke up with an extreme pain. It felt like someone was stabbing and twisting his organs. He felt sick and vomited.
It was blood.
What was happening to him? It felt like something was eating him from the inside, like his body was corroding away.
Blood ran from his nose. Something was wrong with him.
“Zamiel!” Suddenly Razia stood in the room.
She looked at him in the state he was and didn’t seem the least surprised.
It was her.
“What… what did you do?!” He growled, trying to get out of bed.
He would kill her!
“I am sorry. I had no choice.” She said calmly. “At least you enjoyed eating it.”
The bread. She must have poisoned it. She knew very well poison couldn’t kill him. What did she plan to do?
“This poison is deadly. Well, for humans anyway. It eats at your organs one by one. So while one heals another one rottens. Oh, I also added som magic to make it more effective.”
He got out of bed, furious and ready to kill her, but his legs gave in and he fell to the ground. His body burned, his limbs trembled.
“Don’t fight it, Zamiel. I won’t kill you. I just want to help you understand a few things.” She spoke so calmly while he choked on his own blood.
He wasn’t only enduring the damage caused by the poison, but also the process of healing.
She loomed over him. “After I am done. You will understand everything.” She assured him.

The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 27

Zamiel turned back and forth on the ground, groaning in pain. It wasn’t stopping. How long would it take until it was over?
Then abruptly he just stopped fighting it. He didn’t want to give Razia the satisfaction of seeing him suffer. He just lay there trying to move as little as possible. He told himself it would be over soon.
Razia crouched and then watched him where he lay. There was no emotion in her eyes. Only emptiness.
“Don’t hate me, Zamiel. I am just trying to help. You were not doing anything with your life, so I had to do something. You wanted to go into a deep slumber, I’ll help you with that. If you just slept here, anyone could come inside and hurt you. So I found the perfect place for you to sleep in and hide. A very comfortable coffin. It won’t be cold inside. I made sure it’s warm. You can sleep without worrying about anything. I will lock the coffin with a spell so that no one can open it.” She explained.
Then the look in her eyes changed, darkened. “But someone has to open it someday, right? You don’t want to be locked for eternity. How about this? Only someone with a witch and demon blood will be able to release you. Sadly, you don’t believe such creature will ever exist, but now at least you will hope they do. Because only that person can free you. If this mixed race creature never come to exist, then…” She shrugged. “You can sleep peacefully in your coffin knowing that you were right.”
She smiled, satisfied with her plan before a frown settled on her face. “I am missing something.” She said thoughtfully.
Zamiel listened while trying to focus on the anger instead of the pain.
“You hate witches, so let’s do this. If you get released, let’s hope you do, then the person who releases you will become your mate. But then she has to be a female.” She paused and thought for a while. “The first female with demon and witch blood will free you but bound you to her. Sounds poetic, doesn’t it?”
Zamiel glared at her, thinking of how his friend turned into this merciless person. Was it his fault? Did he make her this way?
Maybe this was his punishment for the horrible things he did and for not being able to protect his family.
Razia’s lips moved again. She was speaking to him, but he couldn’t hear her. Soon he couldn’t see her either. Darkness was swallowing him slowly until he drowned in it.
When he opened his eyes, he was already inside the coffin. He tried everything in his power to get out of it, but nothing helped. He hoped Razia would calm down and come to release him, but she didn’t.
Years went by and he spent them in anger and agony. The darkness, the loneliness, the helplessness, it tortured him, tore him apart, ate at his heart until it was filled with nothing but darkness. Sometimes it felt like he was losing his sanity. How could his friend do this to him? He thought she would come back to him eventually, but now after almost two hundred years she had already passed away.
Now there was only one way for him out. The female with the mixed blood.
As an ancient demon he could get into anyone’s mind, so for years he jumped from mind to mind just to find her. After five hundred years, he gave up. He was exhausted, hungry and furious. Maybe it was good that he would never get released because if he did, he would wipe witches off the face of earth and he would start with the one to release him. That is, if he ever found her.
After enduring more years of torture, Zamiel decided to fall into a deep slumber despite knowing that he could miss the chance to find the mixed blood female. But he could just not endure the pain anymore. He was fed up of looking and needed recovery, so he fell asleep until a strange feeling woke him up.
The need to locate someone.
He tried to find his way through many minds until he ended up in the one he was looking for. It was a young girl with the greenest eyes and the darkest hair he had ever seen.
Zamiel knew it was her, and immediately he started his mission to make her release him. It was difficult staying in her mind, at first. He didn’t know why, so he appeared in her dreams instead. It was easier since she was relaxed and asleep. But even then, he couldn’t get to her in the beginning. It was as if she was denying him access into her mind. But Zamiel was slow and patient and thought of ways to make her curious or make her trust him so she would let him in. Eventually she did.
And soon the day he had waited for a thousand years came. He was released. He still remembered the first time she opened the lock, as if she had opened his lungs. He felt alive, breathing, smelling and seeing. But most of all, the hungering. He never felt anything like it before.
It wasn’t only an extreme urge to bite her, but also the need to feed himself. He was confused at first, not understanding this need to feed on someone. It was unnatural, but he had no control over it. His gums itches and once his teeth sunk into her flesh, the world around him faded away. He could only focus on the euphoric feeling her blood gave. The way he came alive again, felt alive again.
When he had enough he still continued. Almost draining the life out of her. Even if she was part demon, she was still part witch, and he planned to get rid of each and every one of them. Starting with her.
Then he heard her voice in the back.
“Please, save me.” She begged. “I.. I want to live.”
Zamiel’s body froze.
She wanted to live.
He wished he could say the same. But as he held her almost dying body in his arms, he couldn’t finish what he started. He couldn’t bring himself to do it no matter how much he tried to convince himself.
So he took her with him thinking that eventually his hate would come back and he would end her life. But his hate had always been there, still he hadn’t been able to kill her.
Now, because of his stupid decision to let her go, he was fighting something he wouldn’t have to, had he just killed her.
Why?!
Why was it so difficult?
She was just a witch. What good did they do?
Even his friend whom he had watched over since she was a little girl had betrayed him. They killed innocent beings in the name of doing good and removing evil. What could be more evil than that?
The rest of them were all the same. Instead of condemning the act, they protected and praised the ones who committed the horrible crime. They were all the same.
But Heaven…
What was she doing to him? He should not trust her. She was probably bewitching him for her advantage. He would not fall into the trap of trusting a witch ever again.

The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 28

Zarin looked at Heaven with a disappointed and a disgusted look. It was like he couldn’t believe what he just saw.
“Zarin, I can explain.” Heaven began, but he raised his hand, telling her to stop.
“What explanation could make me understand the reason you are with the man who put you and your family in danger?”
Heaven knew this looked bad. She didn’t know how to explain herself. Even she didn’t know what was right or wrong in this situation.
“I am having a hard time Zarin. I don’t know what to do and I am just trying to figure out… the situation.”
“By being with the man who abducted you, held you against your will, hurt my sister and your friend and threatened your family? What… what does that mean?” He looked at her as if she had lost her mind.
“How long have you been meeting him?” He asked.
Heaven shook her head. “This is the first time. I know I shouldn’t but…”
But what? Why did she go meet him?
“I was worrying for you, looking out for you all these days in case something happened to you, knowing what you went through. I never thought you would purposely put yourself in danger.” He shook his head.
Heaven looked down at her hands, her eyes tearing up. She was already feeling guilty. Why was he adding salt to her wounds? Why didn’t he even try to understand her?
“You have changed. You are becoming…. I don’t know.” He shrugged.
Heaven looked up at him. This time more hurt by his words. “What am I becoming?”
He had already said it once before. That she was changing, and it was not in a good way.
Zarin just looked away, sighing as if her question was not what mattered.
“No, tell me! What am I becoming? Why is my change so bad? Tell me!” She urged.
“You are becoming selfish.” He blurted.
Heaven couldn’t believe her ears. Had he called her careless, childish, stupid, then she wouldn’t mind. She would even agree with him. But calling her selfish made her heart ache.
“What have I done to be called selfish?” She asked, fighting her tears. She would not cry in front of him.
Zarin shut his eyes tightly and pressed his lips into a thin line as if regretting what he said. “Heaven, I am just looking out for you.” He said trying to sound calm.
“You are not my father. It is not your duty to look out for me. As a friend, you should support me and be there for me when I am having a hard time. You are not even willing to listen. You are the one who suddenly changed as soon as I told you I wanted to become a Queen.” Now she was furious. He had been ignoring her all these days and now suddenly he wanted to be her protector.
If her father didn’t have anything against her becoming a ruler then what was his problem?
“As I friend, I should be honest with you. You will go through a lot of hardship to become a ruler. I just don’t want you to go through that.” He explained.
“You don’t think I am going through hardship now? Right now I need my friend the most, but he is angry at me because of the hardsh.i.p.s I might go through in the future.”
Zarin dropped his shoulders as if defeated, but he didn’t look at her.
“I was always here, Heaven. You are the one that left. I don’t think you need me anymore.”
They looked at each other for a long moment. Heaven tried to figure out what that meant. It sounded like he was abandoning her, breaking their friendship.
A tear fell down her cheek when he just vanished.
The next morning Heaven woke up with a newfound energy. She had convinced herself to not let sadness defeat her. She was going to become a ruler so she wouldn’t let anything make her cry easily, but was easier said than done because only a few hours later she was in her room crying a river.
She had attended a meeting where her father let her be the one to lead. He went to sit among the generals and councils, letting her face all those scary, powerful men alone. She had watched him lead these meeting many times before and studied his tactics. It didn’t seem difficult while she watched, but now when all eyes were on her she began to sweat.
“Your Highness, as you know the Kingdom of Valish don’t want to trade with us anymore. So many of our food supplies have been suddenly cut off and winter is coming soon.” One council spoke.
“Your Highness, the cheating of tax payment have increased among sellers despite knowing its severe punishment. We have captured a few of them. I think we should set an example of what happens when you cheat the tax by punishing these criminals in public.” Another one presented another problem.
“Your Highness….” And a third problem.
“Your Highness…” And a fourth problem, and so it continued until all parts presented the issues within the department they were responsible for.
Heaven only understood the first two questions, and then she was confused. She was supposed to lead the discussion, but after they presented their problems, she just listened to their debate trying to follow and understand what they were saying. Then suddenly they turned to her to make the last decisions based on what they had discussed.
Heaven could see some of them were fighting hard to stay passive in front of her father and try not to insult her, but she could already feel that they thought she was unfit for the role.
Everyone stared at her as they waited. It felt like they could see through her, see her fears and insecurities. Her voice trembled slightly when she began to speak. “I think we can find another Kingdom to trade with.” She wasn’t even sure if her voice was heard before one of them replied.
“I am not sure if you are aware, Your Highness. But Valish was the last Kingdom who wanted to trade with us.
“Oh,” Heaven didn’t know. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Why?”
The men looked at each other as if she was stupid and she could see her father shake his head.
“Your Highness, as the largest Kingdom we are a threat to many Kingdoms, especially our neighbor Kingdoms. No one would feed their enemy.”
Heaven nodded, feeling foolish. She knew these times were special. The Kingdoms in Europe wanted to build Empires like the Kingdoms in Asia. The whole of Asia was four Empires while Europe still had many small Kingdoms. Now the European Kingdoms also wanted to build Empires, and the first Kingdom to take a step toward becoming one was the Kingdom of Gatrish. King Rasmus, Zarin’s uncle, was known for his tactical ways to expand his Kingdom. Heaven didn’t want to use his method, but from the debate the council and the generals had, it seemed that they were suggesting war.
What Heaven learned from her father was that war should be avoided as much as possible and should be the last option when nothing else was left. Heaven agreed with him, but in this situation she didn’t know what other options she had. She looked at the men around the table, then her father, but she could see he was not going to help her.
“I need to think about this.” She said, not knowing if she did the right thing.
“As for those who didn’t pay tax, you can punish them the way you see it fit.” She added.
Heaven noticed slight changes in expressions that made her wonder if she did something wrong. Things got only worse after that. She realized that even if she had learned a lot; she was not even close to knowing enough.
And every time she made a decision, they seemed to oppose to it. They made her feel uneducated and small. She just wanted to shrink in her seat and hide.
“Your Highness, may I ask you why do you want to become ruler.” One of them lastly asked.
Heaven was surprised by the question and didn’t know how to reply.
“I want to ensure the wellbeing of the people in our kingdom.” She said, but saying what she said made her realize that she didn’t speak the truth and that wake her feel guilty. Maybe she was selfish, like Zarin said. She was becoming a ruler for selfish reasons.
“Your Highness, to ensure the wellbeing of the people in our Kingdom, you need to know the people first and understand what they want and what they need.”
Heaven’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. It was true she knew nothing. She humiliated herself in front of everyone.
After what felt like forever, the meeting finally ended and they all left. Heaven listened to their conversation outside the hall. They muttered about how immature and spoiled she was.
Tears pricked her eyes, but she tried her best to not cry until she reached her room. Once she arrived she threw herself on her bed and cried.
Her dreams of becoming a ruler were crushed. She had no purpose anymore.
Heaven spent the whole day in her bed feeling bad for herself. If people saw her like this, they would never accept her as their ruler.. She was too weak for it.
Crying and feeling sad was not going to solve her problems, but she couldn’t help it. It made her realize she was not for the role. Maybe she should just give it up.
She had lost hope for her dreams; hope to find love and she lost her friend. Thinking about it made her cry again.
Suddenly she shivered when the room become cold. A familiar scent invaded her senses.
Before looking up, she already knew who had come to her room.
It was him.
He stood in the corner and looked worse than she remembered. His skin color turned ashy and his lips were purple. The whites of his eyes were red and his hair had lost its shine. Fighting the urge to bite her must have been so difficult for him, and he seemed to suffer. But Heaven didn’t feel like thinking about the bite or getting bitten today. She just wanted to be left alone.
“I can’t help you today.” She said.
In the blink of an eye, he stood right next to her, his tall figure towering over where she sat on her bed.
Her heart skipped a beat. Why was he frightening her so? He was not going to forcefully bite her again? Would he?
“Why are you crying?” He asked.
Heaven quickly wiped her tears away. “Why do you care?”
“I don’t know.”
His reply surprised her. He didn’t deny that he cared.
“You made me dream of something I can’t achieve.” Now she just wanted someone to blame.
“Of course you can’t. You are just a woman. A young, naive and a foolish woman. You know nothing but being emotional.”
Anger made her jump out of bed. “What is wrong with being a woman? Just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I know nothing, and being a woman doesn’t stop me from achieving my dreams.”
“No?” He raised a brow. “I thought you said you couldn’t achieve your dreams?”
“I can!” She said with finality.
The stranger crossed his arms behind his back. He was showing great self-restraint despite his already elongated fangs. “If you are being this emotional now, I doubt you will become a ruler in this lifetime.”
Why was he discouraging her when he was the first to encourage her? Walking closer to her, he reached his hand out and Heaven flinched back, unsure of what he was going to do.
His gaze hardened, and he grabbed her shoulder in a strong grip. “As a ruler, never show fear.” He said firmly. “Relax your shoulder.” He then ordered.
Heaven was confused at first, but she did as he said.
“Stand with a straight back and relax you arms.”
Again she listened to him. Then he grabbed her chin and made her look at him. His cold silver eyes stared back at her, demanding her attention. “And never bow your head in front of anyone.”
Heaven didn’t reply. She didn’t even nod. She just gazed into his eyes as her breath caught in her throat. He wasn’t compelling her, yet she was hypnotized.
Then his lips moved, and her focus went to his mouth. “Did you hear me?” He asked.
Heaven nodded as she stared at his fangs.
“Does it hurt?” She blurted.
He slowly let go of her chin. “I am used to it.” He said simply.
It pained her to hear him say that. “You shouldn’t be.” No one should be used to hurting.
He turned away from her, but she grabbed his sleeve. It was becoming a habit. “Didn’t you come here to bite me?” She asked.
He clenched his jaw.
“If you have to… I won’t resist.” She said.
****************************************************

The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 29

“If you have to… I won’t resist.” She said.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and turned to her. Grabbed her wrist, he drew her gently into his arms. Heaven’s heart beat erratically inside her chest. Butterflies filler her stomach and her breath came out in shallow pants. Was she excited or afraid she didn’t know?
“You are afraid.” He said.
“I am… nervous.” She admitted.
Heaven knew that mating was something serious. She shouldn’t take it as lightly as she was now.
“I told you, I would rather kill you than mark you.” He reminded.
“You don’t look like a killer.” She said.
He chuckled darkly. “I have killed many of your people. I can’t even count how many. I just burned down villages.”
Heaven was confused. Why did he decide to burn them? “But witches can protect themselves from fire. At least for a while. I am sure they managed to escape.”
“Maybe. But they lost their homes, like I lost mine.”
He didn’t want to kill them. He wanted to punish them.
Sometimes killing someone could be the lightest punishment they could receive. For witches, communities meant a lot. It was their way of protecting themselves. If their communities dispersed, then they could easily become targets for demons. He wanted them to live in fear.
Zamiel grabbed a few strands of her hair and inhaled her scent. Heaven looked at him, disturbed. This was not going to help him fight the urge to bite her if he didn’t plan to do it. It was like… he was punishing himself.
“Why won’t you resist?” He asked.
“I have nothing to lose, but… you are hurting.”
The cold look in his eyes changed, his gaze softened. Ever so lightly, his hand cupped her cheek. “You have a pure heart, Heaven. Mine is full of darkness and hatred. You will gain nothing by being bound to me.”
“Do you still hate witches?” She asked.
He seemed to think for a while before he spoke. “I know it’s not your fault and I know it’s not every witch’s fault, but I can’t help it. It’s like poison spreading in my body.”
“Then you should stop it before it kills you.” She said.
Zamiel chuckled. This time it wasn’t the usual dark, cynical laugh. It had another sound to it that made her stomach tickle in a strange way.
When he dropped his hand and took a step back Heaven panicked. He was leaving.
“Will you come back?” She hurried to ask. “I… I could use more advice.”
He looked at her for a long moment. “I can’t promise you that.”
Heaven’s heart skipped with joy. He didn’t say he wouldn’t. She could see him slowly accepting her and letting go of the hate. She knew it would take time, so she didn’t pressure him. Instead, she just nodded, and he left.
That night Heaven went to sleep feeling better.
The first thing she saw in the morning when she opened her eyes was her father’s face.
“Father.” She rubbed her eyes, surprised to find him this early in her room. The first thing she thought was that something bad had happened, but when he smiled at her, her fears disappeared.
“Good morning.” He greeted sitting at the edge of her bed.
“Good morning.” She said pushing herself up. “Did something happen?”
“No. I just wanted to see how you were doing after what happened yesterday.” He explained.
Yesterday, she had embarrassed her father and herself. She should have listened to him when he told her she wasn’t ready yet. But watching him and learning from him for three weeks, she thought she would be ready.
“I am sorry I didn’t listen.” She apologized.
“Heaven, you told me not to be your father while training you. As your tutor, I advice you to turn your sadness into anger and determination. As your father, I advice you to ask your heart what it truly desires. You know your happiness matters to me the most.”
“I know.” Heaven whispered.
“I won’t go easy on you. I’ll be the one to criticize you the most and tell you the truth others won’t dare to tell you. But as soon as you feel you can’t handle it anymore, tell me to be your father again.”
Heaven nodded. “I will.”
He leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” She smiled.
“I hope you can say the same in a few days.”
Heaven chuckled. “It won’t be appropriate, Your Majesty.” She said causing him to laugh.
“Father, shall I comb your hair?” She asked excitedly.
It was a long time ago when she last combed her father’s hair. When she was little, she would watch her mother brush her father’s hair and she would want to do the same. But most of the time she would just end up playing with it instead.
“Sure.” He smiled.
Her father’s hair felt exactly the way she remembered. Soft and silky. People said she resembled her father a lot and she could see the resemblances. The hair, the face, the nose, the lips, even the shape of her eyes was like her fathers. People would say she was the female version of him.
The maids were not so excited about her. She remembered while being little they would hope her mother would get pregnant with a boy. “wait until a prince is born. He is going to be so handsome.” They would say.
But Heaven knew the chance of her getting a brother was very little. Demons didn’t reproduce like human. The majority of them could only conceive once, if lucky twice. Roshan and Klara were one of the few lucky ones.
Speaking of Roshan and Klara, Heaven needed to visit Zarin. They had to talk. She could not let their friendship go to ruin.
Once her father left, she dressed quickly and teleported to Gina’s room. She wanted to surprise her and show her what she had learned. Gina was looking at herself in the mirror and adjusting her dress when Heaven arrived unannounced. Startled, her friend turned around and stared at her, surprised, before her lips slowly curved into a smile.
“You succeeded.” She said.
Heaven nodded. “Yes, finally.”
Gina clapped like a little girl and it caused Heaven to laugh.
“What more did you learn?” She asked.
“It’s not that easy.” Heaven said feeling a little sad.
Her grandma had tried to teach her magic when she was younger, but it never worked and she used to feel sad. “Forget about it. You don’t need powers.” Her grandmother would say. “I think you will do better without it.”
Her parents, on the other hand, never tried to teach her anything about her powers. They were careful because she was different and they didn’t want her to deal with powers she might not be able to control. Her father had explained to her once that being part witch and demon could make controlling her powers very difficult, and it could cause more harm than good sometimes.
“Where is Zarin?” She asked.
“Probably in his room.” Gina shrugged.
“I’ll come back.” Heaven said and made her way to his room.
She was about to knock on his door when she heard a woman’s voice coming from inside. Heaven sighed, feeling sad for her friend. She didn’t like all those empty encounters he had with women and was about to leave him alone when she suddenly decided not to.
Grabbing the door handle, she barged inside without knocking.
“Good morning.” She greeted, smiling brightly just to annoy him.
The woman in his bed jumped, startled, and tried to cover herself quickly. But when she realized it was only a young woman like her, she glared at her questioningly before turning to Zarin.
“Who is she?” She asked accusingly.
Zarin opened his mouth to say something, but Heaven didn’t let him.
“I am his wife.” Heaven replied.
Now it was Zarin’s turn to glare at her while the woman’s eyes widened.
“You are married?”
“Yes. I am his second wife. He had been looking for a third one, actually.” Heaven lied, then turned to Zarin.” Husband, is she the one? Shall we prepare for a wedding?”
Zarin shook his head. “Don’t listen to her. She is not my wife.” He told the woman, but she wasn’t listening. She already started to get dressed and then pushed passed Heaven with the straps of her dress still open and carrying her shoes in her hand.
“What are you doing?” Zarin asked, annoyed as he got out of bed.
Heaven turned away from him as he began to dress. The man was shameless.
“Having fun.” She replied. “You know there are other ways to have fun than fooling around with women.”
“Oh, you don’t know.” He said.
“Then maybe I should try it too. I am sure many men would be willing to spend some time with me.”
“It’s not the same.” He muttered.

READ MORE >>>>>> The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 31 – 40

Heaven turned to him. He was fully dressed and had his arms crossed his over his chest.
“Oh. Is that because I am a woman? I can’t enjoy men nor can I become a ruler.”
“I don’t want to fight with you anymore.” He sighed, running his hand through his hair.
“You know, I thought you were like your father. I was wrong. You could learn a few things from him.” She said and this time she did not allow him to leave her. Instead, she turned around and left him standing there.
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The Devil in her Dreams Chapter 30

“Did you guys fight?” Gina asked when Heaven came back to her room.
“He is angry with me. I thought he would come around, but he keeps being bitter. He doesn’t even give me a chance to explain.” Heaven complained.
“What did you fight over?”
Heaven was about to reply when she realized she hadn’t told her friend anything about what was happening with her and Zamiel. She had been afraid that everyone would judge her for being with the man who abducted her and hurt her family and friends.
He even hurt Gina. How was she supposed to tell her?
“Ohoh, you have that look again.” Gina said.
“What look?” Heaven asked.
“The look when you are hiding something. Come one. You know you can tell me anything. I am not my brother.” She smirked.
“You might not like me after I tell you.”
“Nothing in the world can make me dislike you.” Gina assured.
Heaven looked at her friend for a moment. She knew Gina was the least judgemental person on earth and she had never fought with her or stayed angry with her.
“Alright, I’ll tell you everything from the beginning.”
Heaven told Gina everything she could. How it first started with the dreams to how Zamiel marked her and wanted to kill her. She told her he was actually alive and not dead and how the mark faded away. She even told her about her encounters with him, what the witches did to him and his family, and that he now was fighting the urge to bite her. Heaven didn’t leave any details out. She wanted Gina to understand why she did what she did.
Gina listened carefully, her eyes widening sometimes, her expression changing throughout the story. Once she finished telling the entire story, Heaven let out a deep breath. Her heart accelerated as she waited for Gina to say something.
“How could you….?”
Oh, no! Heaven thought. Now her friend would hate her.
“How could you keep all this away from me?” Gina asked, demanding an answer.
“I was afraid you would be angry. Are you not angry?”
“Heaven! Don’t you trust in our friendship enough? You have been going through all this alone when I could have been there for you, stupid girl.” Gina scolded.
Tears of relief fell down Heaven’s cheeks. It felt like a mountain was lifted off her shoulders.
Gina came over and hugged her. “Don’t cry. It’s alright.” She assured. “I am glad you told me. Besides, I was the one who suggested we go there, so it’s all my fault.”
“No, it’s not.” Heaven shook her head. “It’s my fault.”
“Never mind who’s fault. What happened has already happened. Now tell me. Do you like this man?”
Heaven had to think. She wasn’t sure what liking in this case meant, but she worried for him, thought of him, maybe even missed him. He made her feel a certain way. She couldn’t quite explain it.
“I don’t know. I thought it was the mark at first, but I keep thinking about him even now.”
“Heaven mating is beyond the mark. The mark itself can’t do much if there aren’t any feelings involved. I am sure what he is fighting is more than the urge to bite you. He is fighting his feelings for you because that will affect his urge to bite you. Had he known you longer and his feelings for you had been stronger, he would not have been able to fight the urge one more day. Fighting the urge the first and the second time is not the same.” Gina explained.
Heaven didn’t have much knowledge on how the mark worked, but she never cared to know before. Now she needed to learn everything about it.
“What do you mean? What is the difference?”
“The first time can be controlled to some extent because both must consent to it before it happens. The second time is almost impossible to control because you already belong to him. The reason he had been able to control it is probably because the feelings are not fully there yet. He hates witches and therefore he doesn’t trust you, yet.” Gina continued.
“He is far from trusting anyone.” Heaven said.
“I don’t think so. I mean, he is fighting the urge to renew the mark. He feels something for you. But is the reason you wanted to allow him to bite you only because you pity him? I think you like him more than you realize.” Gina was thoughtful.
Heaven recalled the moment he drew her into his arms. It felt so natural, as if she belonged there. Her heart had fluttered at his closeness and despite how horrible he looked, he was beautiful in her eyes at that moment.
“I don’t know.” She said shaking her head. She was afraid to admit.
What if she admitted, and he left her?
Gina studied her quietly. She knew her all too well, so she said nothing. She just smiled.
Heaven was still surprised. She thought her friend would tell her to be careful or warn her not to be with him, maybe even scold her, but she seemed rather accepting and happy about it.
“I need to go back home.” Heaven said standing up. “There is a lot I need to learn.”
“Of course. My friend is becoming a Queen.” Gina smiled.
“It’s nothing to be excited about.” Heaven muttered.
Gina frowned. “Why do you say so?”
Heaven sighed. “Because I need to rule for the right reason. I just… wanted to rule over my life.” She shrugged.
“Well, that is a good start. You can’t rule over other people’s lives if you can’t even rule over your own. Once you feel confident enough to rule over your life, only then can you find a reason and a purpose to rule over others.”
Gina was too wise for her age, and Heaven always appreciated her friend’s advice. “I need you by my side, friend.” Heaven smiled.
“Always.” Gina smiled back. “Now go and rule over your life.”
Heaven went back to the castle, feeling more confident and at ease. She was glad for the wonderful people in her life who supported her no matter what. Holding her head high, she went into the meeting room. As usual, she listened and observed carefully the way her father led the discussion and the way he announced his decision.
It was with absolute finality and confidence. But she could see that he listened carefully to their debate and took what they said into consideration. Heaven realized that state affairs related to economics were the area where she lacked most knowledge. She would make sure to study it more.
As soon as the meeting ended Heaven hurried to look for Lincoln. He was speaking to some soldiers in the hall when she found him.
“Your Highness.” He bowed.
“Lincoln. Can you find me a tutor? One who is very skilled in economic affairs.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“Thank you. Could you also arrange for me to meet General Kian?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
General Kian would be a good person to learn from about the people in this kingdom. Lincoln would also be a good source of knowledge, so she decided to follow him for a while and ask him questions she had. Lincoln was patient and provided her with the information she needed.
“Your Highness, you are overexerting yourself. You can’t learn everything in one day.” He told her.
“I just want to find to find the right reason to rule.” The comments made about her still hurt her.
“In my opinion, there is no right ruler or right reason to rule. Rulers don’t choose to rule, they are born into that position. There are only good rulers and good reasons to rule. His Majesty wanted to rule because he wanted to protect the people he cared for, not because he wanted to be a ruler. You need to find a good reason for you to rule.”
A good reason? What could that be?
Before she knew it was already time for lunch. Heaven went back to her room while her head imploded with more questions than answers. This would not be easy, but it was definitely fun. She learned a lot of new things and she wanted to know more.
As she walked into her room she was surprised to find Zarin inside, sitting on her sofa.
“What are you doing here?” She asked.
He stood up from his seat and looked at her. “I came to apologize. I am sorry.” He said.
“Which part are you sorry for? The part where you called me selfish, or that you just left every time without letting me explain, or the part where you have been ignoring me?”
“For all of it.” He said. “But you did wrong too.”
“Yes, which I apologized for and tried to explain had you listened.”
For some reason he seemed surprised by her anger.
“I am sorry.” He said with a frown. “I just didn’t want you to make a mistake.”
Heaven sighed, trying to calm herself down. “Zarin, as a friend you don’t need to agree with my choices. I don’t agree with you sleeping around with women, but I never left you or ignored you for it. As for what happened last night, I apologize again. If you let me, I would like to explain.”
Something changed about the way he looked at her. Heaven couldn’t tell if it was a good or a bad change.
“I’ll listen anytime you need me to.” He finally said.
Heaven shoulders dropped in relief. Her friend was back.
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